


Loki makes a friend

by CherryPie0



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Adorable Peter Parker, Alive and happy, Everyone Is back, Fluff, Gen, I suppose, Not Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Compliant, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-29
Updated: 2019-03-29
Packaged: 2019-12-26 00:13:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,765
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18271925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CherryPie0/pseuds/CherryPie0
Summary: "There's a child in my room. He claims to be an Avenger."





	Loki makes a friend

Loki roams around the room that has supposedly become _his_ since last week, when he hears a barely audible noise. Someone else might have just ignored the sound, but Loki knows when he's being watched and right now there's certainly another person in his room and it's definitely not Thor; his brother has never learned how to be quiet. And even though he admits this is a decent attempt, there aren't many people that can sneak up on him. 

He distracts the intruder with an illusion and the next moment he has them pinned against the wall, his dagger pressed firmly against the person's throat.

"Oh my God! Mr. Loki!" An excited voice comes and Loki frowns when he sees a _child_ standing before him. "Mr. Thor was right, you're so good with those knives!" The boy continues, apparently completely ignoring that he's in danger by said knife that's brushing against the exposed skin of his neck. 

Loki narrows his eyes in suspicion; he wasn't expecting _that_ and he's not sure what to make of the situation.

"Oh right! I'm Peter Parker, I'm an Avenger," the child explains quite proudly, a wide grin spreading on his face. 

It makes Loki's frown deepen. It's not like he holds the Avengers in high regard, but letting kids join them seems low even for them. This boy looks anything but threatening. 

"I'm sorry for sneaking into your room but I _really_ wanted to meet you! Mr. Thor has told me so many stories about you!" He continues - he doesn't seem to be able to stop talking - and Loki allows a wicked grin to form on his lips. 

"And you decided it was a good idea to sneak up on _me_?" Loki asks incredulously; if the child is telling the truth and Thor has told him stories about him, shouldn't Peter be _scared_ of him? Or at least hate him? What kind of trickery is this?

"Well, it wasn't the _best_ idea but you sounded so cool, I had to meet you!" Peter says - seemingly sincerely - and either the boy is an even better liar than Loki is or he's just foolish. He supposes that if Peter is indeed friends with his brother then the latter must be the truth. The boy's expression is so open, it makes Loki uncomfortable. 

"Did my brother not mention that I tried to rule Earth, then?"

"Oh yeah yeah, Mr. God of Thunder has explained everything... About Thanos and the Scepter..." Peter trails off and his eyes turn impossibly soft and a little sad, showing so many genuine emotions clearly in display that it catches Loki off guard. He finally lets go off Peter, removing the dagger from against his throat and steps back. 

"I have to go," he mutters and then he's out of the room. 

He heads to the training room where he knows his brother will be, relieved to find him alone when he enters. He's been trying his best to avoid the rest of the people living in Stark's building, save for Thor and οn rare occasions Bruce. He might be on better terms with the Avengers but he's not fool enough to believe that he's actually welcome there. 

Thor's face lights up the moment he sees him, already shuffling towards him, and Loki barely manages to not roll his eyes.

"Brother! I wasn't expect-"

"There's a child in my room. He claims to be an Avenger," he says urgently before Thor has finished talking. 

"Ah, you must be talking about Peter, brother! Our spider-child! He's quite the fighter," Thor tells him with enough excitement to match Peter's.

"He was telling the truth then. He, also, said that you'd told him stories about me," Loki says and raises an accusatory eyebrow at Thor who at least has the decency to look sheepish. 

"It's hardly my fault, brother! He seemed to be more interested in the stories of you transforming in a snake than me killing a dragon!" Thor defends himself, a ridiculous pout having formed on his lips. 

Loki hums thoughtfully; at least the child has good taste, he guesses. And it's obvious that Peter's not a threat. 

"Well, then, next time you see him, please tell him I apologize for threatening him with a dagger," he says and then leaves the room before Thor has time to lecture him about how he shouldn't threaten children- or anyone else. 

**

The next time he hears those quiet steps, Loki is on his bed, peacefully reading one of the books Thor has brought him to keep busy. 

"Still not quiet enough," he comments, not bothering to avert his gaze from his book. There's a disappointed sigh and then some more steps before Peter's figure appears in the room, a few feet away from his bed.

"I thought I was getting better," he grumbles, earning only a light shrug from Loki. "Did Mr. Thor tell you that I said everything was fine, about the last time? I mean, it's not like you actually hurt me or something," Peter says nonchalantly, as if Loki putting a knife on his throat isn't a big deal.

"And what makes you think I won't hurt you this time?" Loki asks and raises an inquiring eyebrow, as he closes his book and places it on the bed next to him. 

"Oh, well- I don't know? I don't think you will," Peter says and the fact that he's obviously not sure about it doesn't seem to scare him. His foolish bravery is rather admirable- _and_ will probably get him killed. 

"I suppose I won't," Loki agrees. "I don't think Thor would appreciate it if I killed you."

Peter smiles widely at him, not fazed at all by the answer Loki gave him. 

"So," Peter starts and approaches the bed, inviting himself to sit across from Loki and making himself at home. "I'll only ask a few questions, I promise! I won't bother you for much longer," he says and continues before Loki can refuse. "Is it true that you can transform yourself into a snake? An actual snake??" He asks, sounding truly in awe like it's the greatest trick he has ever heard. It's a rather easy spell really, one of the first Loki had learned; it obviously had nothing to do with the fact that Thor loves snakes.

"Yes, that is true," Loki replies, deciding to humor the boy, just for now. "A snake and many other animals. I find cats rather interesting," he replies despite himself and Peter grins excitedly; that seems to be his reaction to everything, really.

"Seriously? That's awesome! A small Loki kitty- oh! A _Lokitty_ ," Peter exclaims enthusiastically and admittedly Loki has to fight back his urge to smile; it does have a nice ring to it. "Oh! Mr. Thor also told me that you can turn blue! With red eyes! Is that true, too?"

Loki feels himself tensing slightly at the mention of his Jotun form but he forces himself to relax soon after; damn his oaf of a brother that can't keep his mouth shut.

"Yes. And I can, also, very easily turn _you_ in an ice cube," he replies sharply but Peter apparently misses the threat -or just chooses to ignore it - because his grin doesn't fade.

"Oh my God, that would be so cool! I mean, as long as I don't freeze to death, of course; I'm not allowed to die again, you know, Mr. Stark would be furious if I did," he explains and Loki can actually relate to this; Thor has threatened to kill him if he died again. "Oh man, I wish I could turn blue, too-"

"What _can_ you do?" Loki asks, both curious about Peter's abilities and eager to change the subject. 

"Oh, uhm this, I guess," he says and then sticks himself to the ceiling- _ah_ , spider web, right. Thor has referred to him as spider-child. Peter moves easily around the room, still hanging from the ceiling. 

"You have to be quieter than that if you wish to sneak up on people, you know," Loki tells him and watches as Peter lands back on the bed, surprisingly gracefully. 

He narrows his eyes at the way Peter's looking at him now, with wide brown eyes and a huge grin splitting his face, like he just had an idea. Most likely, an idea Loki won't like. "You could teach me!"

And there it is! Sometimes he hates being always right- okay, that's not exactly true. 

"I don't think so-"

"And then we can sneak up on Mr. Thor and Mr. Stark! Oh and Mr. Captain, I'm sure he won't be mad; he's been nothing but happy since he's gotten his friend back," Peter says, his eyes now shining with a playful glint.

Hm. It seems like the innocent child has some mischief in him after all. 

**

"-and there was that one time I turned him into a frog. I had even managed to avoid a lecture from my father. I remember I told Thor that it had been me I wanted to turn into a frog and that the spell just went wrong and the fool believed me. I didn't change him back until two days later," he says, quite proud of himself. Thor wasn't lying, after all; Peter really enjoys hearing about all his spells and little tricks. 

It's been almost two weeks since the second time Peter sneaked into his room and since then Loki has found himself many times in the company of the spider-boy. In contrast to every other Avenger, he actually doesn't mind spending time with Peter. 

"Oh, Mr. Thor told me this story!" Peter says excitedly and then frowns slightly. "But he said he hadn't said anything to your parents because you had looked really happy that your spell had worked."

Loki can't stop himself from gaping; that sentimental oaf! Of course, he had known. 

"Oh, and he also said that he was really proud of you every time you learned a new spell and that you two always had a lot of fun together," Peter continues and Loki's face falls serious before he can hide his reaction. He didn't know Thor was so fond of his magic; in the last few years he had been trying so hard to focus on all the times Thor had mocked him for his _tricks_ that he completely forgot how Thor used to encourage him and support him every time he was trying to learn a new spell. 

"Mr. Loki? Did I say something wrong? I'm sor-"

"So, what else did Thor tell you?" Loki asks in a light tone, not willing to dwell more on that subject right now.

"Uhm, let me think- oh!! Of course, how could I forget! _Get help!_ " Peter says and Loki immediately starts to shake his head before Peter gets any more foolish ideas; it, of course, doesn't work. "Will you show it to me? I'm sure Mr. Thor won't mind."

"Absolutely no."

" _Pleaaaaase._ " Peter insists. The pout on his face looks even more ridiculously endearing than it does on Thor. Loki hates that it works on him. He's supposed to be the one manipulating people!

"There's no way," he says firmly.

**

Loki's not even the least surprised that he ends up agreeing. A few days later, he and Peter find Thor in the training room and Thor smiles widely when the spider-boy tells him his request. And, of course, his brother agrees. 

Loki casts a couple of illusions for their supposed enemies - if they're doing this, they might as well do it right! - and can't help smirking smugly at Peter's awed expression. Finally someone who appreciates seidr; he's definitely keeping the spider-boy around. 

Peter claps and cheers when they actually do _Get Help_ and Loki smiles despite himself; he has come to the terrifying conclusion that Peter's happiness is contagious. He should be more careful. 

"Can I try it, too?" Peter asks and looks at them with his wide, big brown eyes that not even Loki can deny; the child is proven to be even better than him at getting what he wants; Loki should take some notes. 

Peter's face lights up even more - if possible - when they agree. Well, it's not Loki's problem if Peter wants to be thrown across the room, so why would he say n-

"Absolutely no, you're not throwing _me_ across the room- I'm very heavy actually, you couldn't lift me," Loki says when Peter explains that he would like to be one doing the throwing. 

"Oh come on, Mr. Loki, I'm sure you're not heavy at all. Just let me try. _Please_ ," Peter says and Loki curses himself for being so weak. It's _fine_ , there's no way Peter could pick him up, let alone throw him.

 

He regrets his life choices ten minutes later when he is thrown across the room by a seventeen-year-old mortal boy. He guesses he knows now why the child is an avenger. 

He grumbles as he stands up and glares at his brother who can't seem to be able to stop laughing, the booming annoying sound almost echoing in the otherwise quiet room. He ends up stabbing Thor - justifiably so, no one can blame him! - when he refuses to shut up and unsurprisingly not even that stops the big oaf from laughing. At least, Peter doesn't seem much concerned about it; Thor must have told him about his... _stabbing_ habits. 

He's about to make his way to his rooms - he thinks he deserves a nap after being thrown around like a doll - when Peter runs to him just before he can exit the training room. 

"Thank you so much, Mr. Loki! This was awesome!" He exclaims and before Loki knows it there are arms being wrapped around him as the spider-boy gives him a hug. Loki isn't sure when the last time someone other than Thor hugged him and he stays still for a few seconds before finally making his hands move, patting awkwardly Peter's back. 

Peter pulls away after some moments and offers him a blinding smile before leaving. 

"Not. A word." Loki warns when he catches the amused expression on his brother's face with the corner of his eyes. Thor's grin widens even more and Loki shoots him another glare, one that promises more stabbing, before heading to his rooms. 

**

Loki is absolutely positive that Peter's idea is terrible, but he's agreed anyway. Still, he wasn't expecting it to really happen! When he said yes to Peter's suggestion that he join the _Avengers movie night_ \- as Peter called it - he was actually counting on the Avengers' refusal, assuming there's no way they'd want _him_ there. 

But apparently he was wrong. Stark accepted Peter's suggestion easy enough - he seems to have a soft spot for the spider-child - and so here Loki is, in a room with a big flat screen on the wall before him and surrounded by Avengers. 

He's, at least, thankful that Thor and Peter sat next to him on either side; it makes him feel less uncomfortable. Next to Peter is Stark and then Bruce, while Captain America and his two friends occupy the other couch. He's lucky enough that Clint and Natasha are away, visiting his family. 

The movie is about to start and Peter hands a bowl of something Loki doesn't recognize to everyone, before joining them on the couch. Loki stares suspiciously at the content of his bowl, turning to look at his brother for answers but Thor just shrugs at him. 

"It's popcorn," Peter informs him. "You'll love it, try it!" 

Loki does, still not very convinced, but _Norns_ , this is definitely one of the best things he has tried on Midgard. Peter grins at him when he sees that he liked it and then motions for him to look at the screen. _Right_ , the movie. 

Said movie turns out to be about lions - and other animals apparently - and Loki can't help frowning; his plays while he was the King of Asgard were far better than this-

And _oh_ , look at this! The lion King has an evil brother. Great. The irony doesn't escape him, of course. The evil lion has even black hair and green eyes, for Gods' sake. He unconsciously curls in on himself a bit, thinking that maybe it'd be a good idea to just teleport himself to his room, but when he looks around he doesn't find anyone staring at him, so he does his best to relax. 

Maybe the evil lion redeems himself later in the movie, he thinks. And, of course, he's proven horribly wrong only minutes later when the evil lion basically kills his brother. Loki lets out an involuntary sharp exhale of breath and he can only hope that the noises from the movie are loud enough to cover the soft sound he made. 

Thor, apparently, hears him anyway- or maybe he just notices how tense his posture is; his brother can be much more perceptive than he gives him credit for. A large hand grips gently the side of his neck - a familiar gesture that never fails to ground and comfort Loki -, slightly forcing him to turn his head towards his brother. Loki hesitantly meets Thor's gaze and even though he tries to appear completely unaffected he is sure that his efforts are rather unsuccessful. 

He is definitely not ready for the warm, affectionate smile Thor offers him, immediately chasing the tension away from his body and he has to fight his urge to bury himself in his brother's embrace like he used to do when he was a mere child. Instead, he just nods at him and smiles a small but genuine smile before turning his attention back to the movie. 

He finishes his pop corn before they reach even halfway through the movie and steals sneakily some pop corn from Thor, who either doesn't notice or doesn't care. 

"Oh," Peter says when he sees the empty bowl on Loki's lap. "I got you, Mr. Loki," he says confidently and Loki watches him as he reaches with his hand and just grabs Stark's bowl. 

"He's never eaten popcorn before, Mr. Stark," Peter whispers and apparently that's enough of an excuse for him to steal the bowl. 

Stark grumbles and rolls his eyes, but Loki can see the small smile on his face when Peter turns away. 

Loki, of course, is more than happy to accept the bowl when Peter hands it to him. "Thank you, Peter," he whispers and the spider-boy beams at him. 

The movie is actually interesting, especially now that Loki has pushed away his guilt and he has to admit this night is turning out much better than expected. 

By the time the last scenes of the movie come, Loki is fully invested in the story, his mind so focused on the movie that he has no idea how he has ended up with the spider-boy's head resting on his lap. One glance at Peter's face confirms that he's indeed sleeping and Loki decides to just stay still and not disturb him. 

He starts to absently pet Peter's hair and can't help grinning at the sleepy sounds the child makes. It feels strangely good to know that someone feels comfortable enough around him to fall asleep on him. 

Soon, the movie ends - Loki refuses to acknowledge the tears that threaten to escape his eyes - and eventually everyone starts making their way to their room, stretching their sore limbs and yawning. Thor stands up, too, eventually and raises his eyebrows expectantly, apparently waiting for him to follow, like he doesn't have a sleepy Peter lying almost on top of him!

"I can't move now, Thor, I'll wake him," he whispers, stating the obvious; _can't_ Thor see? "Go, I'll just... stay here or something," he mumbles and glares at his brother when he sees the soft, knowing look in Thor's eyes. "Shut up, Thor," he grumbles and Thor's expression grows even fonder. He's ridiculous. 

"That kid has probably never seen a movie ending in his life," Stark says when he returns from the kitchen, his eyes landing on Peter's sleeping form. "Here, let me free you." He shuffles close to them and gently moves Peter away, setting him on the other side of the couch. Loki didn't really mind if he's honest but he thanks Stark anyway; trying to be good and all that. They exchange a polite nod and then Loki follows his brother upstairs, trusting that Stark knows what to do with Peter; apparently it's not the first time it happens, judging by his words. 

 

An hour later he has settled on his bed with a book in his hand, not quite feeling sleepy yet. There's a knock on the door of his room and Loki doesn't need to see to know who might be this late at night. Thor doesn't wait for permission before entering which Loki used to think it annoying, but he finds that he doesn't mind anymore. 

"Brother. To what do I owe the pleasure?" He asks, closing the book and placing it on the small bedside table. 

Thor smiles at him and shuffles to the bed, lifting Loki's legs and placing them on his lap as he sits. "Did you have a good time, Loki?"

"It wasn't... terrible," he replies and Thor hums, still smiling.

"And you have made a friend," he continues, obviously pleased with Loki playing friendly. 

Loki can't resist rolling his eyes at his brother, even though it's more fond than annoyed. "Yeah, I suppose I have," he says and decides to tease Thor just a bit. "Peter is like the brother I never had." 

" _Loki!_ " Thor gapes at him seemingly offended but Loki can see the smile in his eyes. He smirks at him and nudges playfully Thor's thigh with his toes. Neither of them talks for a while and Loki finds the silence comfortable, Thor's presence comforting. It feels both natural and strange to simply spend time with his brother like that, no rivalry or hatred between them, nothing to prove or gain, no schemes or ulterior motives. It's probably been decades since they were on such good terms. 

"See, brother?" Thor says, shaking him off his thoughts. "I told you it was a good idea to come to Earth."

Loki decides to not remind Thor what happened after the last time they had this exact conversation; it doesn't matter now, anyway. 

"Yeah," he smiles at him, genuinely and warmly, something that happens more and more frequently lately. "I suppose you did."

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!! Hope you enjoyed 🤗🤗💞💞 Feedback is always greatly appreciated 😁


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